 

People Who Help Us Past and Present 

 

Pre-Workshop Information 

 

Outline: 

 

Based on the foundation stage topic people who help us, this session explores the 
role of five people who help us today and the same jobs in the past. It encourages 
children to think about the job roles of people who help us and understand how these 
have been an important part of our community for over 100 years. 

The session is designed to develop your pupils understanding of the concept of past 
and present as well as looking in depth at 5 characters. The session enables 
children to handle objects both old and new, role-play different people who help us 
and join in with an interactive story set 100 years ago. 

 

The session covers three of the four specific areas highlighted in EYFS: these are 
literacy, understanding the world and expressive arts and design. 

 

 

Programme Duration: 1hour 

 

 

Links with Units of Study: 

 

This session has been developed in support of the EYFS and covers the following 
areas: 

 Communication and language: Experiencing a rich language environment, 
developing confidence and skills, speaking and listening 

 Physical development: Opportunities for young children to be active and 
interactive and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement in relation to 
playing and handling objects. 

 Personal, social and emotional development: Opportunity for children to form 
positive relationships and develop respect for others by playing in a group; 
developing social skills and learning how to manage feelings; to understand 
appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities. 

 

 

Aims and Learning Objectives: 

 

The session will provide children with the opportunities to: 

 

. find out more about life in the past using handling artefacts 
. use their speaking and listening skills to take part in an interactive story 
. practise their ability to share and take turns 
. develop their understanding of the passing of time 
. develop their vocabulary relating to the passing of time 



 

 

 

. investigate people who help us with their peers, play independently and in 
small groups 
. communicate what they know about people who help us now and in the 
past 


 

What we expect: 

 

. Children will enjoy learning about people who help us, handling objects 
and playing. 
. Children will have increased awareness of the different roles of people 
who help us and an understanding that these jobs have been around for a 
long time. 
. Whilst museum education staff will run the session, support in the 
workshop is required in order to minimise the risks involved with the 
session items, ensure appropriate behaviour and make sure artefacts 
are handled thoughtfully. 


 

 

 

 

 

 


 

People Who Help us Past and Present 

 

Pre-Workshop Activity Suggestions 

 

 

Communication and Language 

. Ask the children to name some people who help us then get them to role 
play/pretend to be their favourite person who helps us by playing in a group. 
. Ask the children to draw a picture of their favourite person who helps us, and 
then ask them to explain what things that person does as part of their job. 


 

Physical development/Personal, social and emotional development 

. Ask the children if they think its important for people who help us to be fit and 
healthy. Does a Police Officer need to be able to run fast to chase burglars? 
Does a fire fighter have to be strong to wield the hose to put out a fire? What 
things should we do to keep healthy? Eating healthy food, vegetables, fruit, 
rice, potatoes, brown bread, meat or nuts and doing lots of exercise like 
playing outside, playing with a ball and running around. 
. Ask the children if they think its important for people who help us to work 
together. Do they think one fire fighter could put out a big fire on their own? 
Could one Nurse help all the patents in a hospital or would they need help 
from other Nurses and Doctors? Talk about or read a story about how its 
important for us to work as a team when we want to help people. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

People Who Help Us Past and Present 

 

Post Workshop Resource Pack 

 

We very much hope you enjoyed the workshop and we would be very grateful to 
hear your views on this or other elements of the educational services of the museum. 
If you have any comments or concerns that have not been addressed in our 
evaluation, please contact us at bookings@wandsworthmuseum.co.uk. 

 

This resource pack is designed to support you and your pupils after participation in 
the People Who Help us Past and Present workshop and includes more details 
about some of the people featured in the workshop. Wherever possible we have tried 
to keep information relevant to the local area. 

 

Please note: If you have not yet participated in the workshop, please do not reveal 
the content to the participants as this will lessen the impact of the museum 
workshop. 

 

Please feel free to contact us should you have any further enquiries about the 
content or the wider content of this topic. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


\\DELLHKR6Z3J\Storage Server\04 Wandsworth Museum Operational Files\N.Learning\1. Learning Dept\02 WM Formal Learning\17 People Who Help Us\Images\Policeman.jpg
\\DELLHKR6Z3J\Storage Server\04 Wandsworth Museum Operational Files\N.Learning\1. Learning Dept\02 WM Formal Learning\17 People Who Help Us\Police pic.jpg 


Compare and Contrast 

The following pages feature a selection of people who help us now and people who 
helped us in the past including information specific to the borough of Wandsworth. 

 

Police Officer 

 

This photograph is off Inspector Kemp on the 
roof of Nine Elms police station on the day he 
had been presented with the Jubilee Medal to 
celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V. 
He appears in full dress uniform wearing his 
medals. The year is 1935. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Lorraine and Katie. They 
are Police Officers who work as 
part of the safer transport team 
in Wandsworth. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Insert Image of You!!! 

\\DELLHKR6Z3J\Storage Server\04 Wandsworth Museum Operational Files\N.Learning\1. Learning Dept\02 WM Formal Learning\17 People Who Help Us\Images\teaching-first-day.jpg 


 

 

 

Teacher 

 

This is a Victorian 
Teacher and her 
class. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a modern day 

teacher. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


\\DELLHKR6Z3J\Storage Server\04 Wandsworth Museum Operational Files\N.Learning\1. Learning Dept\02 WM Formal Learning\17 People Who Help Us\Images\Postman Picture.jpg
C:\Users\Researcher\Pictures\20121116\DSCF2666.JPG 


 

 

 

Postal Worker 

 

This is a group of 
postmen with penny 
farthings and other 
bicycles, opposite 
Carmalt Gardens. 
The photo was taken 
in 1890. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the Postal Worker for Wandsworth 
Museum. She delivers post to the Museum twice 
a day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


\\DELLHKR6Z3J\Storage Server\04 Wandsworth Museum Operational Files\N.Learning\1. Learning Dept\02 WM Formal Learning\17 People Who Help Us\Images\Nurse.jpg
http://www.oldmill.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/nurse.jpg 


 

 

 

Nurse 

 

Here are some Nurses and a 
patient in a hospital in 
Wandsworth. The photograph 
was taken at Christmas in 
1951. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some modern 
day Nurses with their 
stethoscopes and patient 
notes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


http://cdn6.wn.com/ph/img/29/65/3016bb149365f4384e603531ac12-grande.jpg
\\DELLHKR6Z3J\Storage Server\04 Wandsworth Museum Operational Files\N.Learning\1. Learning Dept\02 WM Formal Learning\17 People Who Help Us\Images\Firemen.jpg 


 

Fire Fighter 

 

This picture shows 
three fire engines in 
front of the Trinity 
Road Fire Station, 
Wandsworth, with 
12 firemen 
mounted, four on 
each vehicle. The 
photograph was 
taken around 1930. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a modern day fire fighter. The closest fire station to Wandsworth Museum is on West 
Hill between Wandsworth Town and Putney. 

 

 


 

People Who Help us Past and Present 

 

Post Workshop Activity Suggestions 

 

Below are some suggested classroom activities to assist in extending the learning 
in this session. Please find attached the related worksheets. 

 

Literacy 

. Read a story with your class about a famous person who helps us (Fireman 
Sam/Postman Pat) then ask the class to name some of the things they do as 
part of their job. Can the class think of any other people who help us that they 
have heard about in stories? What do they do? 
. Ask the children if they would like to have a job helping people when they 
grow up. What Job would they like and why? What would they have to do in 
this job? Are there any things about this job that might be hard work? 


 

Mathematics 

. Use an abacus to practice counting numbers with your class. 


 

Understanding the World 

. Ask the children if they know anyone who has a job helping people, who is it 
and what do they do in their job? 
. Ask the children who their favourite person who helps us is, then they can 
colour in a picture of this person (see worksheets 1-5) 


 

 Expressive Arts and Design 

. Ask the Children to draw some objects that belong to people who help us (fire 
hose, stethoscope, book etc.) Then ask them to explain what its used for and 
who uses it. 
. Bring in a selection of objects that belong to people who help us in to school 
or nursery, ask the children to identify what they are and who might use them. 
Then ask them to draw the objects thinking about key things like colour, 
shapes and special features. Alternatively ask the children to do rubbings of 
the objects and ask them to describe what the texture of the objects is like 
and how they feel. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 


templates
Worksheet 1 

 

My favourite community worker 
is a.... Postal Worker! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


http://coloringpagesforkids.info/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/nurse%20coloring%20pages%203.jpg 


Worksheet 2 

 

My favourite community worker 
is a.... Nurse! 

 

 

 

 

 


templates
Worksheet 3 

 

My favourite community worker 
is a.... Fire fighter! 

 

 

 

 

 

 


http://www.boardgaminginfo.com/images/p004.jpg
Worksheet 4 

My favourite community worker 
is a....Teacher 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


templates
Worksheet 5 

My favourite community worker 
is a....Police Officer 

 

 


